Speak With Your Heart
by YuriChan220
Summary: Some people like Nana can understand Rise's soft quiet voice. But the question is: why does Rise talk like that? Contains some violence and bullying. Story is back in action! Chapter 6 is up!
1. Rise, the Quiet Girl

**Speak With Your Heart**

**Pairing: Rise x Nana**

**Genre: Romance & Hurt/Comfort**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yuru Yuri or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Hey, there! This is my very first Rise x Nana fanfic. I tried looking up stories with Rise in it and it seems that there's none, so I decided to create one myself! Well, maybe I didn't check correctly, but maybe some people did add Rise to their stories, but I can't be sure. Also, I figured that Rise and Nana seem to be in a relationship, so that's why I chose that pairing. It's going to be a little difficult to describe Rise's way of speaking, so maybe that's why some people rarely write stories about her. Or maybe she really _does _have a lack of presence. Hehe! Anyway, please, enjoy the story! ;)**

One morning in Nanamori Middle School, there is a girl with long black hair with big red eyes entering the school doors. Rise Matsumoto looks around for a bit before proceeding to her first class. She is the current Student Council President and is often aided by Ayano Sugiura and Chitose Ikeda. But, the one who is closest to Rise is none other than Nana Nishigaki. Other than being Nana's test subject, Rise considers her a close friend. Nana always has an opportunity to talk with her and Rise enjoys that. But why does she only enjoy her time with Nana? Well, the reason being is that very few people can understand Rise's quiet voice. To some people, they think that Rise is just mute and is hard to communicate with. For Nana, she can somehow understand Rise's quiet voice, in which Rise is still trying to figure out why. Whenever some people don't understand what Rise is trying to say, Nana is always there to "translate". But the problem is, when she's alone, Rise has a hard time making other friends. Sure she gets along with the Amusement Club and other members of the Student Council, but the other girls just won't accept her.

Like right now, just as Rise is about to walk in the classroom, a hand suddenly grabs her by the shoulder and is shoved against the lockers. Rise winces at the sudden action and looks up to see a trio of girls standing over her. One with long blonde hair tied in a pony tail leans over to Rise's level and smirks.

"Where do you think you're going, Matsumoto?" she asks.

Rise just whispers her words.

"What? Speak up, I can't hear you," a red haired girl says, putting her hand over her ear.

"Yeah, can you speak a little louder, won't you, Matsumoto?" a gray haired girl says.

Rise whispers her words again, in the same exact volume, which aggravates the blonde girl.

"Whatever," she says as she knocks the books off Rise's hands. "If she's not gonna talk, then we'll just have to force her to."

Rise whispers again, but is slapped by the blonde girl.

"Do you really talk or are you just freaking mute?" she grabs her by the shirt of her uniform. "Maybe you just move your mouth so that you can trick others to think they can understand a single darn word you're saying. Well, it's working!" She throws Rise against the lockers, making a loud banging sound from the metal.

The red haired girl kicks the small raven-haired girl to the floor. "You just stay there, witch. We're not quite finished with you yet."

Rise looks up and whispers again.

"What's that? I don't believe I can understand a freaking word you're saying!" the blonde girl kicks Rise again, this time in the stomach, knocking the air out of her for a second.

"Haha!" the gray haired girl laughs. "That's it! Kick her until she really speaks up!"

"With pleasure," the blonde girl says as she kicks Rise hard in the face, then arm, then leg. All little Rise could do is curl up, trying to protect herself from this horrible beating when all of a sudden . . .

"Hey!" a deep voice calls from the hall. "What do you think you girls are doing?"

Rise weakly looks up as she notices Nana walking towards the girls. She scolds them for beating on a student and got sent to the principle's office right away. Once that's done, Nana rushes to Rise's aid.

"Are you alright, Matsumoto?" she asks, her eyes full of worry. She could see some minor blood on Rise's cheek and bruises on her arm and leg from where she was kicked.

Rise just nods and whispers to her about what happened.

"I see. So the girls were at it again, huh? Well, you don't have to worry. They are at the principle's office right now. Do you want to go to the nurse's office or . . ." Before Nana could finish, Rise just wraps her arms around her closest friend, burying her head in her chest. Nana is surprised to see her do that, but just smiles and strokes her head.

"It's okay," she says softly. "I'm here. Don't worry."

Rise just nods her head while still having her head buried in Nana's chest. She desperately wanted to stay like this for a little longer if it weren't for the warning bell. With that, Nana helps Rise up, takes her to the nurse's office to treat her wounds and is given an unexcused pass to get to her class. As Rise whispers a "thank you" she leaves the nurse's office with Nana staring at her worriedly. She is glad that she saved Rise in time, but is afraid about the trio of girls showing up again. Nana decides to ask Rise to have lunch with her today, just to be on the safe side so that she won't have to deal with them.

* * *

><p>Time passes by fast and finally, lunch arrives. Rise had just bought her lunch and looks around for a place to sit. There's hardly an available table, let alone having to find some people to talk to. Looking down at her food, she only has a cheese sandwich and a bottle of water to drink. Unfortunately, some girls run into her, making her stumble and letting go of her tray. They don't even bother to apologize as they continue running towards a random table. Rise then looks over at her sandwich, which had been squished by one of the girls. Her expression shows neither irritation nor anger as she stands up and slowly cleans up the mess. She throws away the squished sandwich and holds the water bottle in her hand. Looking down at the ground, she decides to just leave the cafeteria, hungry for the rest of the period.<p>

However, just as she is about to leave, she notices Ayano and Chitose walking by. Chitose looks up and smiles.

"Oh, Rise-chan!" the silver haired girl says as she walks toward the raven-haired one. "It's so nice to see you!"

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Ayano asks.

Rise whispers.

"Uh . . ." Ayano looks around for Nana, but couldn't find her. Most of the time Ayano has a hard time understanding herself, but is still accepting her personality, unlike the trio of girls Rise had encountered earlier.

"I bet she's saying that she's just getting lunch when she got bumped by some girls and got her sandwich squished," Chitose explains.

Rise nods.

"I see," Ayano says. "Well, do you want to eat with us? We can go to the Student Council room if you want."

Rise just looks down at the floor for a bit and whispers again.

"Oh! You're just waiting for Nishigaki-sensei?" Chitose asks. "We'll wait for her with you."

"Yes," Ayano agrees. "We still got some time."

After about a few minutes, Rise notices Nana coming towards the cafeteria with her own bag of lunch.

"Hey, there," she says as she notices Ayano and Chitose. "Wow, looks like you've already got company."

Rise whispers.

"Oh, I see. Your lunch was ruined and have nothing else to eat when Sugiura-san and Ikeda-san came along." Nana happily holds up her bag lunch. "Don't worry. I have just enough food to share with you."

"And we can, too," Chitose says, smiling at the raven-haired girl.

Rise nods and gives everyone a hug as a thank you. She couldn't have been more grateful than ever. She truly has friends that can support her and be there for her, especially Nana. With that in mind, the four make their way to the student council room to enjoy a wonderful lunch together.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Alright. First chapter done, everyone! And I gotta say: when I looked up Rise, I found out that she has a voice actress and so when I first saw her, I kind of expected her to speak. But instead, it seemed like she has no voice at all. So, what's with that? Though, despite all that, I think Rise is super cute. Anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns.**


	2. Love Builds Up

**Chapter 2**

**Love Builds Up**

That afternoon, Rise is sorting out some documents along with Ayano and Chitose assisting her in the Student Council room. While sorting them out, an image of Nana pops in Rise's head. She blushes at the thought of her closest friend, but quickly shakes it off. It's not her duty as Student Council President to think about that kind of stuff while at work. She puts away the last stack of papers into the pile to the side while Ayano and Chitose do the same. In about 15 minutes, they had sorted out all the documents.

"Well, that was quick," Chitose says, examining the huge pile of papers. "Look at what we've accomplished. Too bad Furutani-san and Ohmuro-san aren't here. They had something to do so we're the only ones who needed to do this."

"Indeed," Ayano says as she turns to Rise. "President, we're gonna bring some of the documents over to the office. Do you want to come with us?"

Rise whispers.

"Um . . ."

"She just wants to stay here to see if there's anything else to work on," Chitose says. "Besides, someone has to watch over the student council office."

"You're right," Ayano says. "I hope you're okay once we're gone."

Rise whispers again.

"She says not to worry," Chitose says.

"Alright," Ayano says. "We'll back in a minute, President."

Rise waves as the two leave the room. When the door closes, Rise looks around for anything that's on the floor to clean up. She notices candy wrappers and ice cream lids on the floor, so she picks those up and looks around for some more. She sees one that's rectangular next to the desk and picks it up. While gazing at it, she begins to blush deeply as she realizes that it's a photo of Nana and her in the science room together. It was taken after school on the first day. Rise had secretly kept it in the desk in a folder full of papers so that no one would look at it. She was glad that no one noticed it right now since she had so much stuff to organize. As she is putting away the photo, she hears a knock on the door.

"Is anyone there?" Nana's voice says.

Rise blushes at hearing her voice and quickly rushes in to open the door.

"Hello, there," Nana says. "Why are you by yourself today? Where are the others?"

Rise whispers to her the situation.

"Ah, I see. So they'll be back in a minute. Well, since I'm here, I just want to let you know that you should meet me in the science room after this. It's time for another experiment that I want to test out."

Rise nods as Nana takes her leave. Blushing, she closes the door and puts her hands on her chest. She can feel her heart beating from seeing Nana like that and then being asked to be her test subject again. Considering the fact that she is Nana's "Explosive Friend" it's hard to believe that Rise and Nana would survive every explosion Nana has caused for the past year. Most students would believe that they would be dead once they come in direct contact with an explosion, but that's not the case. What the others don't know is that they are really aware of every explosion that's coming their way since they've been doing it together all the time. They would step out of the way far enough to not get hit by the explosion, usually resulting them being covered in ashes, followed by the rest of the room. And they would work together cleaning up the ashes after the principle scolds Nana every time she tests out an experiment that could result an explosion. Rise doesn't mind it at all as long as she is with her closest friend.

As Rise sits back at her desk, the door opens and Ayano and Chitose comes in.

"Hello, President," Ayano says. "Anything happen while we were gone?"

Rise whispers to them about Nana.

"Nishigaki-sensei wants you in the science room after this?" Chitose asks.

Rise nods.

"Alright," Ayano says, smiling. "I think we can take it from here. You can go early if you want."

"Yeah, we can take care of it," Chitose adds.

Rise nods again and takes her leave. After the door closes, Ayano looks at Chitose.

"Will she be okay going by herself?" Ayano asks.

"She'll be fine," Chitose assures her. "After all, she knows where to go and most people have left the school already."

"That's true," Ayano says. "Now then, let's get to work, shall we?"

* * *

><p>Down the halls, Rise makes it to the science room and opens the door. Nana looks up and smiles.<p>

"Hey, glad you could make it," she says as she gets up from her desk and leads her to a bunch of liquids on the lab table. "Here's what we're doing today. Just a simple chemical combination."

Rise whispers Nana a question.

"You're wondering why I'm doing this? Well, there's this one time where I had to combine some chemicals to test out different reactions. Yes, I know it's a bit too ordinary, but I've come up with a new formula for this experiment. You ready?"

Rise glances at the ground nervously and whispers.

"Aw, don't worry. We practically do this all the time. Hey, maybe we can finally do something without having it explode this time, right?"

Rise raises an eyebrow, as if she's not convinced by Nana's assurance. But then, she shrugs and decides to do it anyway. What harm can it do anyway?

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ayano and Chitose exit the student council room and lock the door. They had finished cleaning out the rest of the room and is now going home.<p>

"Whew!" Chitose says. "That took a while, but I think we finally got the room organized."

"We haven't cleaned this room in a while, though," Ayano points out, feeling a little exhausted. "But despite all that, I think we did a great job."

"Mm-hmm. Oh, let's see how the president is doing."

"Eh? I don't want to bother them."

"Yes, but they always have something going on where everything explodes every time we are about to enter."

_BOOM!_

"Like right now," Chitose says, jumping back in surpise with Ayano shaking in fear.

Both of them quickly enter the science room and find Rise on the floor while Nana is coughing from the huge amount of smoke.

"President! Sensei!" Ayano cries. "What the heck did you do this time!?"

"I just wanted to try something new with these chemicals, but . . . it didn't turn out too good." Nana walks over to Rise and turns her over. "Matsumoto, are you alright?"

Rise opens her eyes and notices that the woman is holding her in her arms. She blushes and nods.

"I'm glad," Nana helps the little raven-haired girl up and looks around the room. "Looks like we have to do a lot of cleaning again."

Ayano sighs heavily. "Geez, you two need to try something that's not so . . . explosive."

"I can't help it," Nana says, laughing nervously.

"Here, let us help," Chitose offers. "Right, Ayano-chan?"

Ayano sighs heavily again. "I guess I have to." She was exhausted from cleaning the student council room, but still has some energy left to help out Rise and Nana.

All four of them get to work, wiping up all the ashes and putting back the knocked down chairs and desks. After about 30 minutes, the room is finally clean and the four are now sitting down, relaxing. Ayano takes a look at Rise, who is staring blankly at Nana. Now, for Ayano, it might be a little private for even Rise to even talk about, but something's been on her mind since she's been with Rise at the student council. And probably wondering why Rise is so used to being alone, except maybe spending a lot of her time with Nana.

Feeling the need to pop the question, Ayano says, "H-hey, President?"

Rise turns to Ayano.

"Um, I know it's sort of private for you and you don't have to talk about it if you don't feel like it," the purple haired girl says nervously. "But, um . . . I was wondering from the beginning: why do you speak in such a low voice?"

Rise just looks down at the floor, not showing any emotion at all.

"Ayano-chan, I don't think the president wants to talk about it," Chitose says. "Probably mentioning it made her feel sad in some way."

"I know," Ayano sighs for the third time.

Rise whispers to Ayano.

"Matsumoto would rather keep this confidential for a bit longer. She doesn't think you two would understand." Nana says.

"Oh, don't say that," Chitose says. "We'll understand. We are just curious, that's all."

Rise shakes her head and whispers.

"Matsumoto says that she'll think about it," Nana says. "Right now, let's just drop the subject and get ready to go home."

"Okay," Ayano says as she picks up her bag and is about to leave the door when she notices Chitose stopping and turning back.

"I hope the president is okay," the short silver haired girl says, having a worried look on her face.

"She'll be fine." Nana assures her. "You two run along while we lock up the room."

The two girls nod and close the door. Nana stands up, picks up her bag and beckons Rise to follow her. Rise trots next to her friend and the two close the door, lock it and exit the school. While outside, the sun is already setting. Nana looks up at the orange sky and smiles.

"Ah, what a beautiful sky," she says. "Why can't it be like this every day?" She suddenly feels a tug on her lab coat and looks down to notice Rise looking down at the ground while whispering.

"Of course you can stay with me. You have nowhere else to go right?"

Rise nods and wraps her arms around Nana. This time, she didn't want to let go at all and wants to stay like this.

"Matsumoto? Is something the matter?"

Rise blushes as she whispers nervously. This causes Nana to slightly blush as well.

"U-um, well, of course I like you. I mean, we've been together for a long time. We had shared everything together, the good and bad times. And it seems that you only wanted to spend time with me than everyone else. Now, I can understand why, but when are you going to tell them? It's not good to keep all of it inside forever."

Rise frowns as she whispers again.

"I'm sure they'll understand. They won't make fun of you. The Amusement Club and the Student Council know you and care about you, even though you barely show up." Nana wraps her arms around her little friend. "You decide what's best for you, Matsumoto. It might be hard for you, but you have to tell them somehow. I'll definitely be there for you if you get nervous."

Rise nods as she buries her head in Nana's chest. She feels that Nana is the only person who can understand her feelings more than anyone else. In fact, whenever she's around Nana, Rise's heart starts to beat rapidly and makes her blush. For a while, Rise didn't know what it was until she realized that all of it was love. For her, Rise didn't want anyone to know that she's in love with someone older than her nor telling them about her painful past. But like Nana said, Rise has to find the right time to tell them and hope that everyone will accept her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Whew! Second chapter done! Well . . . this is gonna be a little difficult once I write some more chapters, but it will come to me soon. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter so far. And thanks Josephine231 for being the first to review the last chapter. :) Now, I may need some help on coming up with something about Rise's past and putting in the bullies again, if that's possible. I don't know. My mind is a bit fuzzy right now. So, if you have any suggestions about those two things, I would really appreciate it. I feel putting in Rise's past too early is a little too soon. :D**

**Oh, and maybe all of you are wondering, I had changed the title. "Speak Your Mind" doesn't seem to make any sense at all, so I feel that "Speak With Your Heart" is better. **

**Anyway, feel free to give out any other suggestions, questions, or concerns and don't forget to review. ;)**


	3. A New Way to Communicate

**Chapter 3**

**A New Way to Communicate**

**Bold = Rise's Notes**

Rise and Nana walk together on the path to the school. For some reason, Rise is clinging onto Nana's arm, which is kind of strange on Nana's part. But as she looks down at the small raven-haired girl, Nana just smiles. Rise looks up at her friend with her expression remaining unchanged.

"You know, you're just so adorable sometimes," Nana jokes. "Don't you think?"

Rise whispers.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Nana laughs. "I didn't mean it like that. I just thought you have such a cute face, that's all."

Risa looks down at the ground, blushing.

"Well, anyway, putting that aside, I won't be able to see you after school today. I have a meeting to go to. Are you okay with that?"

Rise nods and whispers.

"Okay," Nana says as she looks at her friend in worry. "Where will you go? I mean, you're parents just have nothing to do with you anymore, right? Because of . . . you know . . ."

Rise nods again and whispers in determination.

"I understand. It's your choice to live on your own after all." Nana clears her throat. "A-anyway, let's let it go for now. We have to get to school."

Rise just looks down at the ground. The mentioning of her parents made her feel sad and not want to think about them for a while. Nana knew that for sure and is ashamed of her mistake. Looking down at her friend, Nana could clearly see the expression on Rise's face, even if it's not showing. The two soon arrive at the school, watching the other girls enter the building. Nana turns to Rise.

"Okay, I have to go," she says. "Are you sure you are okay on your own?"

Rise whispers.

"Alright. You're not a little kid anyway, so of course you're gonna be okay." Nana turns to leave. "Well, see you later."

Rise waves as Nana makes her way to the building. Rise then slowly lowers her hand and just stares at the other girls entering the building. She wishes Nana didn't have this meeting and would just rather spend time with her closest friend. But for her, she knows that she can't have that all the time. Nana would sometimes have some meetings to go to, which means that she'll have to go to her house, where she just lives on her own. She doesn't mind at all because she wants to be alone, where no one would harm her or have anyone ask her to speak louder because of her condition. She wanted to be cured. She desperately wanted to, but nothing ever worked. Until then, Rise had lived with this whisper-like voice. However, she would like to forget all of it and wanted to start a new life, living on her own and managed to become Student Council President. She had no idea how she got nominated in the first place, but somehow she did.

Right now, Rise has some other matters to deal with. When she steps into the classroom, she gets out her materials for the lesson. She looks up and sees the same trio of girls that she had encountered yesterday. Rise just ignores them as she gets out her notebook to take her notes.

"Look at her," the blonde girl says. "Being as lifeless as ever."

"I wonder if she'll ever speak," the gray haired girl says.

"She probably won't," the red haired girl says. "She chooses not to speak, that's what her probable is."

"Well, let's show her that being mute isn't an option," the blonde girl says.

"Yeah."

Rise looks up as the three girls approach her.

"Listen, Matsumoto," the blonde girl says. "I want you to introduce yourself once we do our introduction. And you _better _speak up when you say your name, got it?"

Rise just nods.

"Great," the blond girl says. "My name is Suki Kawasaki."

"I'm Akira Watsuki," the red haired girl says.

"And my name's Riri Satsuki," the gray haired girl says.

"So . . ." Suki says. "What's your name?"

Rise takes a couple of breathes and just whispers her name. This just makes Suki's patience level go down really fast.

"Okay, fine" the blonde girl growls, clenching her fists in anger. "If you can't speak up, then we'll just have to force you to."

She knocks down the desk, grabs Rise by the shoulders and throws her down on the floor. Rise slowly looks up with her expression remaining the same. Suki glares at the raven-haired girl.

"What the heck are you staring at?" She kicks Rise hard, making her fall further on the floor. "Speak, you witch!" She kicks Rise again. "SPEAK!" Rise curls up to defend herself, but no avail. The other girls start kicking her from all sides.

"Come on, Matsumoto!" Riri yells. "You can't be like this forever!"

"Yeah, tell us to stop, why don't ya!?" Akira says as she strikes Rise hard on the chest.

Suki makes her last strike super hard on the guts, causing Rise's air to get knocked out for a second. Looking up, Rise stares at Suki who is leaning down to her level, glaring at her.

"Alright," she huffs. "If you don't want to speak, then so be it. No one ever wants you around because you can't speak. You can't even call for help. What a useless human being."

Rise sits up, not having the slightest irritation nor sad expression.

"Don't look at me like that!" Suki kicks her again. She turns to her two girls. "Let's go. Class is about to start."

"Yeah, leave her there," Akira says. "She's totally useless, even in class."

"I really wonder if she gets any good grades when she's like that," Riri says.

The three girls walk away, leaving Rise on the floor, hurt. She can't live like this when those girls are onto her. Though, Suki does have a point when she's beating her up. Rise cannot ever call for help if she has a whisper-like voice. She'll have to ask the members of the student council for some ideas. But first, she'll have to deal with those wounds.

* * *

><p>At the student council, Rise had called all the members for an important meeting.<p>

"So, what's this about?" Ayano asks.

"I think the president as something important to tell us," Chitose says.

Rise whispers the situation that happened this morning.

"Oh, I see," Chitose says. "You want to find a way to communicate better with people because of your condition."

Rise nods.

"Well, let's do something simple," Ayano says as she takes out a small notebook. "Whenever people have laryngitis, they used to write things down to communicate."

"Yes, but we'll need something bigger than that," Chitose says.

"How about a whiteboard?" Himawari says, holding up a square whiteboard.

"That's a great idea!" Chitose beams. "Thank you, Furutani-san!"

Sakurako looks at her, raising an eyebrow. "That's all you got? A whiteboard?"

"Got any better ideas?" Himawari asks.

Sakurako holds up her phone. "Text the teacher!"

"No," Himawari protests. "Remember, the teacher forbids having texting on our cellphones, remember?"

"Aw, man!" Sakurako groans.

Rise gently takes the board and grabs a dry erase marker. She writes, **"How's this?"**

"Excellent!" Chitose says, happily. "Now you'll get a chance to communicate with everybody!"

"Well . . . most people," Ayano says, nervously.

"Anyway, good luck with your new tool," Chitose says. "I hope this will help you get along with other people."

Rise looks down at the floor, unsure about what the other girls might react. But if Chitose is confident about her new tool, so will she. So, Rise writes **"Thank you, Ikeda-san and everyone else for supporting me".**

"You're welcome!" Chitose says, giving her a thumbs up.

* * *

><p>Back at Rise's home, the raven-haired girl stares at the whiteboard while sitting on her bed that night. Will she be able to interact with other people with just using a whiteboard? How will everyone else think? Rise keeps asking herself this as she just scribbles on the board, not sure of what to do. She knows she must try new things just to see if she likes it or not. And if this whiteboard will change things, then she will definitely do it. There's no going back now.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello. I know this is a little rushed, but I'm just too lazy to write any more. So, here's the third chapter, everyone. And, I felt I should give out a few hints of Rise's past without spoiling all of you. But if it is, I apologize.**

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	4. Accepting and Understanding

**Chapter 4**

**Accepting and Understanding**

Rise did use the white board on some occasions, but there's something that's still bothering her: the trio of girls, Suki, Akira and Riri. What will they think? Sure they will tease her about having to write everything down if she wants to speak, but what else is she supposed to do? Perhaps she can somehow make these girls understand her condition and maybe take her seriously? No. That probably won't happen. Considering what they are treating her before, Rise doubts that they'll ever take her seriously. She decides not to show them the white board as soon as they show up in class and try a different approach.

It's noon and Rise is at her desk, taking the rest of the notes that the teacher had given for class. Once that's done, she packs up her stuff and hurries over to Nana's place to eat lunch with her. They had promised each other some time earlier this morning since Nana hasn't spent much time with Rise in a while. Once Rise arrives at Nana's room, she greets her by waving and sits down at a random desk.

"Good afternoon, Matsumoto," Nana says as she grabs her own lunch and proceeds to sit nests to her partner. She takes notice of a white board beside Rise. "Oh? Why do you have that white board over there?"

Rise takes it and writes, **"It' my new tool."**

"Ah, I see," Nana says, smiling. "Since you have a hard time communicating with others, you have this white board that you can write on. That's a good idea."

**"Thanks, but thank the student council. They were the ones who came up with it," **Rise writes.

"Well, I shall thank them as well," Nana says, smiling.

The two continue to eat in silence until a half hour has passed. Rise is just about to pack up her stuff when Nana stops her.

"Wait," she says.

Rise turns around, blushing from the touch and whispers.

"Um, why don't you stay a bit longer?" Nana suggests. "Besides, lunchtime isn't over for another 15 minutes."

Rise nods and comes over next to Nana. The older woman smiles and suddenly starts to pick up Rise.

"Here, is this more comfortable?" She places Rise on her lap, which makes the dark-haired girl blush.

Rise whispers.

"Aw, don't be shy," Nana says. "And I know I'm treating you like a child, but you can be so adorable that I couldn't help it."

Rise whispers again while blushing.

"Oh, yes you are adorable," Nana protests, giggling. She takes a few strands of her hair. "Even you have such cute hair."

Frowning, Rise gently pushes Nana's hand away.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Rise whispers again.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I got too carried away there." She sets Rise down next to her and the two stay silent for about 3 minutes until Nana speaks up.

"You know, those girls . . . how long have they been treating you badly?"

Rise whispers as she looks down at the ground.

"Ah, about a couple days after the first day," Nana says. "I see. I can understand why they would want to tease and bully you in the first place. It's because you can't speak and they just don't see how serious it really is."

Rise nods as she whispers again.

"I know. It's hard on me, too . . . seeing you like this. But . . . sometimes life isn't what you can expect. And you probably didn't expect to have this condition years ago, didn't you?"

Rise shakes her head and hangs it down. Nana could see that she's about to cry, but Rise quickly shakes it off and looks up at the older woman.

"It's alright," Nana assures her. "I'm right here whenever you need me. After all, we're partners, right?"

Rise nods and whispers.

"You're welcome, Matsumoto."

At that moment, Rise wraps her arms around Nana while resting her head on her chest. Nana smiles as she strokes her hair.

"Heh, I could be like a mother to you," Nana says. "I mean, I could have you as my own daughter if you want to. Then, you won't have to be alone anymore. We could always live together, you know?"

Rise thinks about it for a moment as she looks down at the floor while blushing.

"I'll let you think about it," Nana says. "It seems that I just threw that at you without thinking about the consequences."

Rise whispers as she looks up at the older woman. Nana stares back while blushing herself.

"Um . . . Matsumoto?"

Rise continues to gaze at Nana and as if a demon is possessing her, she starts to lean in while closing her eyes. Nana's eyes widen for a second before starting to return the favor. But just as they are about to do it, the bell rings, making them pull away. Rise quickly turns and grabs her bag. Before heading out, Rise looks back at Nana, who is in deep shock as well. Rise glances at the floor for a bit before running off to her next class. While walking, she could feel herself blush furiously at what she just did a second ago. She is about to . . . kiss her! She had never done anything like that before. But on the other hand . . . it seemed that she really wanted to do it. Rise truly has feelings for Nana after all and probably Nana knows it as well, though Nana calls it a "forbidden relationship". She stops and slowly raises her hand to touch her lip. She wishes she could feel Nana's lips a bit sooner.

As for Nana, she just smiles as she raises her hand to touch her own lips. "Well, Matsumoto. You sure know how to be romantic, aren't ya?" With that, she goes back to her desk to do some paper work.

* * *

><p>Finally, when the school day ends, Rise is walking home by herself again. Nana had another meeting to go to unfortunately, so Rise had no choice but to walk home. But as Rise is about to leave the school, Suki and the other girls appear and smirk.<p>

"Here she goes again," Suki says to her friends.

"How pathetic," Akira says. "A girl who can't even speak a word? That's sad."

"Really sad," Riri agrees.

Rise ignores them as she keeps on walking. Suki notices the white board in her hand and quickly snatches it.

"What's this?" the blonde scoffs as she waves it. "Some kind of kiddie drawing board?"

Rise shakes her head roughly as she tries to reach for the board. Suki holds it up high and laughs as Rise helpless tries to take it.

"Forget it, Matsumoto," Suki says. "Even if you have this, you still wouldn't be able to communicate. You might lose it anyways. Oh, wait!" She breaks the board in half by smashing it with her knee. "You already did!"

Rise gasps softly as she stares at her now broken tool and looks up at the trio. She shakes her head and whispers.

"We still can't hear you," Suki says as she turns to her friends. "Come on, girls. Our work here is done."

Suki throws the broken board in the trash and the girls purposely bump their shoulders on Rise as they take their leave. Rise just stares at the broken board in the trash as she sinks down to her knees. The one and only chance of communicating had been thrown away. Now how will she find a way to communicate? If she ever gets a writing tool again, the girls would just throw it away again. Rise felt like the world is being too cruel to her since she has this condition and is really angry and frustrated right now.

She has no choice but to leave the school without the board today. Once she walks out of the school, Suki's words still play in Rise's head.

"_Even if you have a white board, you still wouldn't be able to communicate."_

The incident where they were kicking her like crazy plays in her head as well.

"_You can't even call for help. What a useless human being."_

Rise is probably wondering why she's been nominated for Student Council President anyway. How can she president with a condition like this? Sure some of her friends try to support her the best they could in the student council, but for other people, how can they accept it? How can she accept herself? These questions flow through her head like a river, which even makes her even more frustrated. All she wanted was to be understood and accepted because of her condition. But all she's getting from other people besides her friends are rudeness and bullying.

Rise stops for a moment as she looks down at the ground, feeling tears trying to force their way out. She wanted to make other friends and yet they still don't understand her. And thinking about it makes her very sad and lonely. She whispers loudly as tears begin to fall. Now if Nana were here, she would probably say, "Matsumoto is saying 'Why doesn't some people understand me!?'" Rise raises her hand to wipe the tears, but they just keep coming. She's been holding in all her feelings that she couldn't hold it in anymore. All those times of the girls bullying and picking on her were just torture. And she had enough of it.

Rise continues to cry as she sinks down to her knees and let the tears fall. For the first time in her life, she is openly crying. She had never cried in front of anyone, not even Nana. She had been keeping her feelings held back because of the intense torment she's been hit with by the girls and now she's really crying. Even worse, Nana isn't even there to comfort her this time, which makes her even more sad.

"Are you okay?" a soft spoken voice asks.

Rise looks up to see a beautiful woman with long blonde hair blonde hair that reaches down her waist with a side bang covering her left eye. She is wearing a blue dress with brown boots and a gray hat. Looking down at the little girl, the young woman leans down to Rise's level and looks at her in concern.

"I said are you okay?" she asks again.

Rise only nods as she stands up. She had never seen a woman in her neighborhood before.

"You looked really sad over there," the blonde woman says. "Is there something wrong?"

Now, in Rise's case, she will have a hard time communicating with her since she can't speak that loudly. She looks down at the ground while fidgeting with her fingers.

"Can you speak?"

Rise shakes her head and whispers.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," the woman says, gently.

And that hits her like a brick. With no writing tools around, she's practically humiliating herself in front of this kind woman. Suddenly, an idea pops in Rise's head. She decides to do a little Charade like communication to the woman since that's all she can do. She pantomimes writing on a notebook to the woman.

This time, the young woman understood. "Oh, sure. I can get you one." She grabs a small notebook and pen and hands it to Rise.

Rise writes down, **"I can't speak. Having throat problems."**

"Oh, I see," the young woman says. "I'm so sorry. How did it happen? Are you sick or something?"

Rise writes, **"Something like that, yes. It's sort of difficult to explain."**

"I understand. Well, I hope you throat feels better. I have to get going. I'll see you later." With that , the young woman walks past Rise with a smile on her face.

Rise turns back to the woman and watches her leave, with her blonde hair swaying in the wind. A small smile creeps on her face. She wanted to see that woman again someday.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry it too so darn long to update. For starters, I had major writer's block. Second, I was writing some other stories for the time being. So, here's another chapter for you guys. **

**I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed the story so far. And I agree with some of you. I'm very surprised that there are no stories about Rise and Nana and they really do make cute couple. I just wish some people would write about Rise just so that I could get an idea of how to write Rise's way of speaking. But, oh well.**

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions, or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	5. Her Twin?

**Chapter 5**

**Her . . . Twin?**

Rise sits alone at the student council room one afternoon, working on filling out some documents. From what she saw yesterday made her heart flutter. She had never seen such a kind and gentle woman like that before. And she was even willing to comfort her a bit when Rise was crying. It's been about a week since she saw that woman and wishes she could just see her once more. Just then, there is a knock on the door, which makes Rise look up.

"Hey, it's me, Ayano," the voice says from behind the door. It opens and out comes the purple haired girl with her friend, Chitose. Hi, President. Sorry for bothering you, but we kind of need your help."

Rise whispers as she stands up.

"Oh, come with us," Chitose says. "We'll explain on the way."

Rise nods as she follows her two members.

"So, we need your opinion on where we should put our banner for the special event coming up in 3 weeks," Chitose explains. "Unfortunately, Furutani-san and Ohmuro-san were arguing too much and just quit. That's why we needed your help."

Rise nods. As soon as they get outside, they find the banner lying flat on the ground next to the entrance with two ladders next to it. Rise examines it for a bit, turns to Ayano and whispers to her.

"Um . . ." Ayano says.

"President says that it should be just fine hanging it on the entrance so that every student will know about it," Chitose explains.

"Oh, I see. Well then, thanks for your help, President." She and Chitose help each other hang up the banner.

The three then back up and check to make sure it's balanced and even. Rise whispers her approval.

"I'm glad!" Chitose says.

"My, what the heck is this?" a snotty voice says from the distance. Rise turns and notices Suki and her friends walking over to the banner. "That banner looks hideous! It's colored purple with yellow letters, really? It's way too ordinary!"

Ayano frowns. "Who asking for your opinion, lady?"

"You're holding a festival with a banner like that?" Suki says, pointing at it. "No one would want to see that banner that looked like toddlers spattered it with paint."

"You should get rid of it," Riri adds.

"Even we can do better than that," Akira says.

Rise glares at them. How dare they express a harsh opinion on their hard work?

Chitose then steps in. "Well, to us, it looks good. Please know that all of us student council members worked hard on this banner."

"Student council, huh?" Suki says. "Who's running it? You are?" She turns to Ayano.

"Um, no that would be her," Ayano says.

Suki frowns as she puts a hand on her hip. "Oh, the quiet girl? You mean, you have that silent dolt as Student Council President? That's lame."

"Why?" Ayano asks.

"You fool!" Suki says as she points at Rise. "How can you girls have this girl be president? She is too quiet, cannot be understood at all and just wears this expressionless look on her face!" She walks up to Ayano and pokes her chest hard. "I say get rid of her. She's not worth being president if you're gonna have her like this."

"Hey, take it easy," Ayano says, gently pushing her away.

"Don't push me!" Suki shoves Ayano hard until she bumps into a wall.

"Matsumoto doesn't deserve to be president!" Akira says.

"Make her go away and find another president who can be fully understood!" Riri adds.

"No, we can't!" Chitose pleads. "Rise-chan is a good president, believe me. I know she has this condition, but we still love her! Please, don't think badly of Rise-chan!"

"Oh, yeah?" Suki says, stomping over to Chitose. "What makes you think she got nominated anyway? How can anyone vote for this silent girl? Something's definitely wrong here, don't you think?"

Rise feels startled and hurt by this. From what these girls are saying, she felt that she can no longer be part of it.

"Hey!" Ayano says. "Who do you think you are anyway!? You have no right to tell us what to do just because Rise-san cannot speak!"

"Oh, yeah," the blonde says, flipping her hair. "I'm Suki Kawasaki and these two are Akira Watsuki and Riri Satsuki."

"Well, Suki," Ayano says, stepping up to the blonde and pokes her chest back. "You know what? We can do whatever the heck we want. Rise-san may be a silent girl, but she's still a person with feelings. And you're hurting her right now as far as I can tell."

"And you don't know anything about her," Chitose agrees. "Judging a person like her like that is just cruel."

"Yeah, whatever," Suki says. She notices Rise close to tears, though she's still wearing a stoic expression. "Oh, look. She's gonna cry. How sad."

"Are you gonna cry to your mommy?" Riri teases. "Oh, wait. You don't have one, do you?"

"Or a father," Akira adds. "She's just a stinking orphan who lives alone at a house, right?"

Ayano and Chitose gasp and turn to Rise, who is trembling in fear.

"What are you taking about?" Ayano asks, afraid of what the answer might be.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Suki says. "Matsumoto's parents got fed up with her because she can't speak. They had tried everything they could to cure her, but nothing worked."

"You mean, she wasn't like this from the start?" Chitose asks.

"Heck no!" Riri says. "All we know is that half of her vocal cords were severely damaged."

"And why do we know this?" Suki says. "We've heard stories from that teacher of hers."

"You mean, Nishigaki-sensei?" Ayano asks.

"Mm-hmm," Suki says. "It seems that Matsumoto wanted to keep this a secret for some reason, which I don't know why she wants to do that. But what we do know is that Matsumoto is just a fool who has a hard time communicating with other people because of this condition."

"Then, why do you three bully her so much?" a voice calls from behind Suki.

All of the girls look to see a young woman with long blonde hair with a side bang that covers her left eye walking up to them.

"Who are you?" Suki asks.

"I'm Nina Nishigaki," the young woman says. "I'm Nana's twin sister."

"TWIN!?" Ayano and Chitose shout in unison.

The young woman walks up to Rise, who is close to crying and wraps her arms around her. The raven-haired girl wanted to cry even more for seeing this woman again. It's the same exact person that she saw a week ago. Nina turns to the girls and glares at them.

"You three should be ashamed of yourselves for treating this poor girl like that," she says. "She doesn't deserve this kind of treatment. Her two friends love her no matter what condition she's in."

Suki just backs away and bows. "Sorry. Please forgive us. Come on, girls."

The three quickly leave. Nina turns to Rise and gently puts her hand on her shoulders. "Are you alright? Don't worry about them. They're just mean."

Rise whispers loudly and plunges into Nina's chest, sobbing.

"What's the matter?" Nina asks.

"She's just glad to see you again," Chitose says. "It seems that you've met her before and wanted to see you again."

"But how in the world . . . can you understand her?" Nina says. "I mean, if half of her vocal cords were damaged, making her speak like this, how can people understand her?"

"It's quiet hard to explain actually," a familiar voice says.

Nina looks up to see Nana standing by the doorway with a smile on her face. "Sis! You are here!"

"Hey, there, younger sis," Nana says. "Long time no see." She gives her younger sister a hug.

"Yes! Like a couple of months," Nina says.

"So, let me get this straight," Ayano says. "You two are twins?"

"We sure are," Nana replies. "We get along very well with each other, but we have different interests. Nina happens to be a novelist for the time being, right?"

"Yes," Nina says. "I'm just visiting to get some inspiration on my new novel to write. And it looks like I came to the right place." She turns to Ayano and Chitose. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot both of your names."

"My name is Ayano Sugiura," the purple haired girl says.

"And my name is Chitose Ikeda," the silver haired girl says.

"It's nice to meet you two," Nina says, bowing before them.

"Hey, since we're all here, why don't we come to the classroom to have a chat?" Nana suggests.

"That's a great idea," Chitose says.

"Good, then let's go."

All of them enter the building and into Nana's classroom and lock the door so that no one would barge in. Rise sits next to Nana while the others sit on random desks with Nina standing next to her sister.

"So, I'm just wondering," Nina says to her sister. "This girl, Rise Matsumoto . . . she cannot speak because half of her vocal cords are damaged. How did this happen?"

Nana just sighs. "It's a long, sad story. Besides, the reason why Matsumoto wanted to keep it a secret is because no one would understand. But you can, right?"

"I suppose," Nina says. "If your story gets my attention, maybe it will be a great inspiration to my next novel."

"We'll understand, too," Chitose says. "We have all the time in the world."

"So, please, Nishigaki-sensei," Ayano says. "We want to know how this all started and how Rise became like this."

Nana's expression becomes serious as she pulls up a tall chair in front of everyone. "Very well. I'll tell the story. But only if Matsumoto is willing for me to."

Rise nods as approval.

"Alright." Clearing her throat, Nana begins to tell the tale of how Rise Matsumoto became the person she is today with everyone's attention to her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the surprise, but it's going to be a long story, so I decided to split it into 2 chapters. It's gonna take some time to think of what incident Rise might be in or what causes her throat to get damaged so much, so bare with me okay? I'm sure all of you were waiting for this chapter, so here it is. Oh, and I apologize for bringing up those girls again. I just felt putting up a few hints for the next chapter and also to have my new character Nina to appear. **

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	6. Flashback

**Chapter 6**

**Flashback**

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Apparently, some of you want me to keep going on this story and convinced me that it really doesn't matter how I depict Rise. It is fanfiction after all. Thank you so much for encouraging me to keep writing it! I owe it to all of you! ;) So, this story is back in action, and please enjoy! ;)**

****Rise's POV****

When I was little, my life was truly wonderful. I was a perfectly cheerful and healthy child and got along with my parents very well. I was only 6 at the time. I was always willing to play with them whenever they had the time and they would often take me to exciting places, like amusement parks, aquariums and even the park. I remember this one time where we went to one park with a playground and I insisted on having Mom push me on the swing set. So she did and she actually enjoyed it as much as I did. My father just stood by and watched while smiling. All in all, my family life was perfect.

When I turned 6, and I was still in kindergarden, I used to have fun interacting with the other kids. In fact, there's this one time when I saw a group of kids wanting to play tag and I ran up to them and said, "Hey, can I play, too?"

One girl turned to me and smiled. "Sure! In fact, we needed one more person to play tag with us!"

I jumped up and down in excitement. "Yay! I get to join!"

From then on, the four of us played together every day. We got along very well and became the best of friends. We had played every day during recess and enjoyed ourselves to the fullest.

Yes, I had a happy life the whole year since elementary school. However, at the start of 5th grade, my life was turned upside down.

* * *

><p>It all started when I was about 11. Mom and Dad were busy doing some stuff when I came into the room. For some reason, I wasn't feeling very well, mostly from my throat. Something inside was bumpy and I could even feel it in my neck. Mom looked over to notice me walking unusually slow to her.<p>

"Honey," she asked as she picked me up. "What's wrong? Did you choke on something?"

Then, she noticed it. The lump on my neck. Her eyes widened and showed it to Dad.

"Hiroki!" Mom cried. "I think something's wrong with Rise-chan! She can barely speak, plus her neck is swollen for some reason! We need to call the doctor right away!"

My dad nodded as he phones the hospital immediately. Mom looked over at me in worry as she tried to comfort me the best she could. I, however, didn't really know what would happen to me at the moment. For all I know, if this doesn't get treated soon, I could die.

As soon as the ambulance came, I was rushed the hospital and the doctors started a few tests on me. They had examined the lump in the neck and had knew exactly what was wrong. From what I can remember, the doctor had told my parents something that made them tremble.

"Mr. and Mrs. Matsumoto," he said. "I'm afraid that your daughter is suffering from throat cancer."

Mom gasped as she clutched onto her husband. "Wh-what? How is that possible? I thought she was a perfectly healthy child!"

The doctor sighed. "Well, from what we had examined from the lump of the neck, she may had gone near some smokers while walking around. Were you watching her lately?"

Dad shook his head. "No."

I remember now. Out of curiosity, I noticed one of the smokers drop their cigarette in some kind of area where all cigarettes go while Dad and I were outside of a mall, waiting for Mom to come back. I picked it up and took a whiff at it while it was still active and it was a very, very strong and painful smell. And somehow, most of the smoke had caught my throat. I thought I had gotten rid of it once the pain in the throat was gone, but the result of it wasn't really good.

Mom glances at Dad and then at the doctor. "Is there anything you can do to save Rise-chan!?"

"There is one way," the doctor says. "Ms. Matsumoto needs to have surgery or else the condition will worsen, causing death to your daughter."

Mom grabbed onto Dad's shirt in plea. "Hiroki, we have to do this! For our Rise-chan!"

Dad nodded. "You're right, Natsumi. Rise has to be cured. Can you do this, doctor?"

"We'll do whatever we can," the doctor said. "You just have to sign these papers to confirm an agreement. We'll begin the process tomorrow morning."

Mom nodded as tears were falling from her eyes. I couldn't bare to see her sad like this, so all I could do is hug her in comfort. Mom hugged me back, sobbing, fearing that if the surgery didn't go well, I could lose my life. I didn't want to die either. I had so much more that I could do right now that I haven't done yet. Dad soon joined in the hug, comforting all of us. We wanted everyone to know that everything is gonna be fine once I get the surgery. Then, our lives will be back to normal.

Later that night, I had a hard time sleeping. What if the surgery didn't go well? Will I die anyway? What would happen to my throat once it's done? Those questions float around in my head like ghosts wandering around and never stopping. Fear had kept me awake for most of the night.

* * *

><p>Finally, the day of the surgery had arrived. My parents drove me to the hospital first thing in the morning, and followed the doctor to the surgery room and set me on a tall chair. After the doctor told them a bit of information on what they were gonna do, Mom and Dad step closer to me. Mom was mostly crying because of her fear of losing me.<p>

"I love you, Rise-chan," she sobbed as she gives me a hug. "Please, be strong and you'll get through the surgery in no time. I promise."

"And once we're done with all that," Dad said. "We'll all have a celebration on your success on your surgery, if that's possible."

I just nodded as I hugged them back, hoping for the best. And then, after our last few moments together, the doctors asked them to leave and more doctors came in the room as they left. I felt a sting on my arm, supposing that they're injecting me with Anastasia. I felt a sharp pain in my head as I rested my head back on the chair, felt my eyes close until everything goes black.

* * *

><p>It felt like I was in a dream. I was floating in some unusual dimension, like I was in space or something. But the thing is, all I could see is reddish purple. Now, why is that? I was still floating in the air when something caught my eye. A white light. It seemed be miles away from where I was. Curious, I began to see some ground as I landed on it and began to run towards the white light. But as I ran, it seemed as though I wasn't getting any closer to it. It was farther away than earlier. I ran faster and faster to get closer to my target, but I wasn't getting anywhere. The light remained in the same place.<p>

However, after a while, the light seemed to get closer this time. My mouth formed into a smile as I gained some speed at running towards it. And the white light began to get brighter the closer I got. I felt like I was getting somewhere and a bit curious to know what's behind that white light. Suddenly, when it felt like I was gonna make it, I felt something quick just jab my throat. I stumbled backwards until I fell on my back. I slowly used all of my strength to raise my hand to touch my neck and when I took a look at it, I saw something that I didn't want to see: blood. As soon as I saw it, more of it came out of the light, which was now red. In fact, everything turned red again and I was completely drowning in it, making it impossible for me to breathe. I struggled and struggled to hold my breathe, but I had lost the ability to do that once I felt the need to let it out. And then, everything goes black again as I heard some tiny voices around me.

_"No. What have we done?"_

_"It's too late. There's nothing we can do at this point."_

* * *

><p>As soon as the surgery was done, I was carried back to my parents, who were waiting anxiously for my arrival. Mom was the first to stand up and run up to us.<p>

"How is she!?" she asked. "Did it go well? Will my baby be okay!?"

The doctor's expression made Mom gasp as he hangs his head low.

"Huh?" Mom said as she turned to me. "Rise, are you okay!?"

I opened my mouth to speak. But, I heard nothing but a quiet whisper in my voice. Huh? I tried to speak again, but it came out as a whisper again. Wh-what's happening to me?

"Mrs. Matsumoto . . . Miss Rise went through the surgery successfully . . . after a few minor errors."

"Errors?" Dad asked. "What do you mean?"

"Somehow, one of the needles struck Miss Rise's vocal cords too hard, causing it to bleed and we had to do something to cover it up," the doctor explained. "Fortunately, we covered most of it and went through the rest of the surgery. But . . . the result of this minor error caused her inability to speak."

Mom gasps again as tears start to form, cupping her hands on her mouth in the process. "No! My Rise-chan!"

"She . . . can't speak?" Dad asked, feeling that he might have heard wrong. "Are you sure?"

The doctor nodded. "Miss Rise might never speak again due to this. She can only speak in soft, quiet whispers."

"ISN'T THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO!?" Mom shouted as she comes closer to the doctor, feeling the need to grab him by the shirt. "PLEASE! WE CAN'T LIVE A LIFE WITH OUR RISE-CHAN NOT SPEAKING!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Matsumoto," the doctor said sadly. "But I'm afraid . . . it's the truth. Miss Rise has to live the rest of her life in this condition, even if you two tried to cure her."

My eyes widened at the sudden news. So . . . my vocal cords were damaged, causing me to never speak again? I can only speak in quiet whispers? This was the most depressing news I had ever heard in my life.

"Rise-chan!" Mom sobbed as she buried her head in her hands as Dad tried to comfort her, but failed.

Tears formed in my eyes as well. How am I supposed to live a life without a voice, or barely even having the ability to speak except for soft whispers? When it's all over, the three of us headed home, not saying anything the whole ride back.

* * *

><p>As soon as we got home, all Mom and Dad could do was go up to their room with me standing there, helpless. Once the door closes, I heard something that I didn't want to hear at all.<p>

"WHY!? WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO RISE-CHAN!?" I heard Mom shout.

"Honey, will you please calm down," Dad said.

"CALM DOWN!?" Mom shouted. "CALM DOWN!? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING LEAVING RISE-CHAN ALONE LIKE THAT AND GETTING INTO THE CIGARETTES!? SHE WOULDN'T HAVE SUFFERED LIKE THIS IF YOU HAD KEPT WATCH ON HER!"

"Look, Natsumi, I'm sorry I didn't watch her properly!" Dad tried to reason with her.

"YEAH, YOU'RE SORRY ALRIGHT!" Mom shouted. "IT'S MORE LIKE YOU DIDN'T EVEN CARE ABOUT OUR DAUGHTER AT ALL!"

As Mom and Dad continue to argue, I sit there, having tears in my eyes. The happy family I once had, was broken apart like glass. I can't do anything to make my family happy again, or even myself. My life was also shattered and can never be put together again.

* * *

><p>School was even harder. Ever since that incident, everyone had a hard time understanding me, especially my friends from recess. All I got was the same thing: "I'm sorry. I can't hear you." The teacher was even difficult to communicate and had to call my parents. They had explained my condition to her as soon as Mom got the call. The teacher had suggested that I should write everything down to communicate better. I had thought that would've solved things by now. However, not everyone was willing to accept it. Some of the other 5th graders started to make fun of my condition and say that me writing down everything is just stupid and that I should just remain the quiet girl that I am right now. However, despite all that, I never stopped.<p>

My life at home was now a wreck since I'm in that condition. All we could do is sit in silence. Mom was taking it the hardest since she had loved me so much and couldn't believe she had to live a life with a silent daughter for the rest of her life. Dad felt bad as well, feeling very guilty that he could've watched over me more frequently. As the days went by, none of us were speaking to each other because I wasn't speaking. Usually, I was full of energy and been able to talk to them whenever I wanted, but now that I was in this condition, nothing like that was happening anymore. Even if I wrote down everything that I wanted to say in front of my parents, it didn't change anything. They had really missed hearing my cute sounding voice that I used to have that was severely damaged during the surgery. There was nothing we could do about it.

At first, I thought my parents would get used to it by now, but apparently, I was wrong.

* * *

><p>It all started after I had turned 12. It was in the middle of summer vacation and I don't start middle school in a couple of months, though my parents had never registered me to one since I was in this condition now. Things never changed as the year went by. Mom remained feeling depressed while Dad was trying to busy himself with loads and loads amount of paperwork to keep his mind off the guilt that's been haunting him for a while. I, on the other hand, was still trying my hardest to keep my family happy, even though it was impossible. For the whole year, Mom was teaching me how to cook, clean and do my own laundry and I had learned quickly, however, as it went on, Mom started to teach me more complicated stuff. She had taught me how to shop on my own, pay the bills and so on. Now, I really had no idea why she wanted me to do all those things at this age, but Mom would never tell me why. She just told me that just to be prepared when I'm older.<p>

And then . . . it was almost like everything was happening so fast. One afternoon, both of my parents told me that they are going to run errands for a bit and I just nodded my head in understanding. But for some reason, I could see some sadness in their faces and . . . regret? Mom came over to me and gave me the longest hug I had ever gotten.

"We love you, Rise-chan," she said, now close to sobbing. "I just want you to know that despite you having this condition, we love you anyway. Things have gotten a little out of hand since that day, but we're used to it now, right, Hiroki?"

"Yes," Dad said. "And you're growing up to be a big girl now and learning some important responsibilities from your mother. So here's our advice . . . when the phone rings, answer it just like your mother taught you. It might be something really important for you while we're gone. After you've taken the message, be sure to text us."

Mom nodded as she stood up to wipe her tears. "We'll get your message. You don't have to worry about a thing."

I just stood there, staring at them. I whispered something to them, realizing that I had forgotten my notebook and pen. Mom sniffles as she just shakes her head.

"I'm sorry, Rise-chan," she said. "We could've had the courage to help you get better and we had done everything. But . . . I think it's better that all of us just accepted it."

Dad looked at his watch. "Come on, honey. The traffic is gonna get bad if we don't hurry."

Mom nodded as she gave me one last hug. "Good-bye, Rise-chan. We love you very much. Never forget that, okay?"

I nodded as I hugged her back, not wanting to let go. After about a minute, Mom and Dad leave. I just stood there, staring at the door as I heard the car start and drive away. For a while, I was left wondering why they would say these things. They were just leaving for errands, right? I looked around the house and felt the need to clean for a bit, even though I had done most of it last night.

After about an hour and a half, I had done the rest of Mom's laundry, dusted some shelves and desks and washed the rest of the dishes from breakfast and lunch. Then, feeling very accomplished, I sat on the couch and turned on the TV to Dad's favorite news channel to see what's going on, weather wise. However, they didn't show the weather, but a news flash at some car accident. The camera from the helicopter's view, zoomed in on a familiar red car that had crashed into a building for some reason.

"We're just at the sight where the crash was located," a woman reporter was saying. "Witnesses say that a man and a woman were driving on the road when all of a sudden, they had increased speed and turned towards this building right here. Now, none of us are not quite sure how or why this happened, but . . ."

Now the camera was focusing on the wrecked car and I see one hand sticking out of the driver's seat, now lifeless and bloody.

"Now police had gotten a hold of their license and their names are . . ." My eyes widened as soon as the two pictures came up. "Natsumi and Hiroki Matsumoto. Considering this major impact on this car, there is one possibility: could it be suicide?"

I gasped as I think back to what they had said to me earlier.

_"I just want you to know that despite you having this condition, we love you anyway."_

_"You're growing up to be a big girl now and learning some important responsibilities from your mother."_

_"I think it's better that all of us just accepted it."_

_"Good-bye, Rise-chan. We love you very much. Never forget that, okay?"_

I felt my eyes start to water as I realized what they had done. They couldn't handle this depression anymore, nor could accept the fact that they are living with a quiet girl that no longer has the ablility to speak. So, their only choice was to end their lives . . . for my sake. But . . . why? Why would they want to commit suicide just for me!? I didn't want to live like this either! It was really hard for me to accept it as well, even though I tried to. But now, Mom and Dad were gone, leaving me completely alone in the world . . . with no one to turn to.

* * *

><p>A week later, I had attended Mom and Dad's funeral. I received a phone call about their suicide after hearing about it on the news and I just whispered a "Thanks". It was very cloudy outside, plus some rain began pouring down, so I had an umbrella with me when I got there. Looking at both Mom and Dad's grave, I felt the need to cry again. I still couldn't believe that they would even do this for my sake when I couldn't even accept my condition. Still, they had loved me no matter what condition I was. I still remembered that before they left.<p>

It was about an hour when the funeral was over and I just remained standing there, staring at their graves, feeling the need to be with them just a bit longer. Then, all of a sudden, I felt a gentle hand touch my shoulder, making me startle a bit. I looked up to notice a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair with a side bang covering her right eye. Her expression seemed gentle and reassuring as I stared at this young woman.

"It must have been hard for you, isn't it?" she said.

I nodded.

"Well, since you have no place to go, do you want to come to my place? It's quite warm there."

I gasped as I was trying to take in what this woman was saying. However, I realized that we're both strangers to each other, so without thinking, I whispered to her.

"Oh? Hey, now. Don't be afraid. We're starting to get to know each other, you know?"

I gasped again. Did she just . . . understand what I was saying? To test it out, I whispered to her again.

"Of course I can understand you," the young woman said. "How? Well, it's hard to explain really. Maybe it's that I have a special hearing ability to hear even the most softest whispers, or I must have tried really hard to understand your mouth movement."

As I stared at this woman, I felt myself blush. But why am I blushing? Was it because of her awesome beauty? Or maybe it's because there was someone like her who was able to understand what I was saying for the first time? I whispered for her name.

"My name is Nana. Nana Nishigaki," the young woman said. "And you are?"

I whispered again.

"Rise Matsumoto? What a nice name. Well then, Matsumoto, why don't you come with me to my apartment to spend the night?"

I nodded as both of us got in her car and drove for about a half an hour to our destination. Then, we went up to the fourth floor to her room about 6 doors away from the elevator. After unlocking the door, Miss Nishigaki let me into her room and closesdthe door. She prepared some tea for the both of us and we sat down on the couch next to each other in silence for about a minute. This whole time, I was feeling very uncomfortable because I'm spending the night with someone whome I just met. I shyly whispered to her while looking down at the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm causing any trouble. I just thought maybe if you had nowhere to go, I might as well help you out."

I whispered to her again.

"You sure? Well then, I'm glad that you're very grateful. Now then, can you tell a little about yourself? What had caused you to talk like this?"

Even though it's very hard to talk about it, I knew that she wanted to know the truth, so after taking a few deep breathes, I told her the whole story. As I was telling it, I could tell that Miss Nishigaki was understanding every bit of it, making me blush even more. I couldn't believe that she would even understand my miserable life. And that really made me happy. Once I finished, I felt some tears starting to form in my eyes.

"Oh, my," Miss Nishigaki said. "That really must have been hard for you and your parents. No wonder they wanted to commit suicide."

I nodded as I tried to wipe the tears that were trying to come out. I didn't want to cry anymore, but thinking about it was just too much. I had missed my parents so much. And I really hate my life right now and living with this condition was like torture. However, Miss Nishigaki didn't think so.

"Matsumoto, don't make the same mistake your parents did," she said in a serious tone. "They really did accept your condition in the end. They were depressed for way too long and couldn't live like this forever. The reason why they wanted you to live because you might find something that will change your life forever. And hey, I found you and offered you to spend the night at my apartment. That's a good start to a new life."

I nodded as I whispered to her.

"I'm glad you understand. Your parents loved you for who you are now after all. And they had told you to never forget it." In an instant, I felt her arms wrap around me. "So, please, Matsumoto. Keep on living and I'll help you get through any problems that you might have."

Finally, I couldn't hold it any,ore and let out my soft sobs into her shirt. I was really happy and grateful that Miss Nishigaki was there for me when I was sad. No one had ever done that for me ever since I was in this condition. After a long tender moment, I pulled away and whispered a "thanks" to her.

"You're very welcome," she said. "Oh. You can call me Nana from now on. We're friends' right? And . . . I'm now your guardian. What do you say?"

I nodded many times as I whispered to her.

"Then, it's decided," she said.

* * *

><p>From then on, my new life had gotten better and better. First off, Nana helped me attend an all-girls' middle school called Nanamori, purchase my uniform and guide me through the school. Nana had applied as a teacher there as well. Then, a few weeks later, Nana wanted me to attend the student council because it might work well for me. However, I felt uncomfortable because I was wondering how people would nominate me if I was in this condition. Nana told me not to worry and she'll help me a little bit. And then, as if it was a miracle, I got nominated as student council president. I had asked Nana how this was possible, and she told me that it must have been that cute appearance of mine and an amazing teacher I have. I wasn't really sure if that was the reason, or if she had just manipulated some people.<p>

Since joining the student council, I got to meet some new friends: Ayano-chan, Chitose-chan, Himawari-chan and Sakurako-chan. They were all happy that I got to be student council president and I even got a warm welcome. These few weeks of school had been the best part in my life. And I have Nana to thank for that.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Nana and I were at the park on a small hill, having some smoothies from the mall we went to earlier. Looking at the sunset, I glanced at my new teacher and then back at the beautiful orange sky and whisper.<p>

"Yes," Nana said. "Sunsets are always pretty, isn't it?"

Both of us sat down and scooted closer to each other up to the point where we touched our shoulders. Nana smiled as I rested my head on her shoulder. Nothing could've been a better day than having it with my new teacher. I felt myself blush even harder than before. What are those feelings anyway? Why was I feeling this way?

"You know," Nana started. "I'm really glad you're even here. If you were to take your own life like your parents did, you would've missed on what happened a few weeks ago. Look, you were even nominated as student council president and made some new friends."

I nodded in agreement as I whisper to her.

"Yes. You wished your parents were still here to see this. But you know what? I think they were also trying to send you some kind of message."

I lifted my head up and whispered to her in question.

"Well, you may have this condition, but they still accepted it. They must be trying to have you figure out how to communicate better to the world, even if you are unable to do other things like calling on the phone or shouting for help." She took my hand and placed it gently on her chest to where her heart is. " People may not understand you as well as I do, but if you speak with your heart, your words might reach out to them. Maybe then, they'll understand what you're saying."

I repeated in whisper.

"Yes," Nana said with a smile. "Always speak with your heart. I'm really not an expert on this, but if it works, then your words will reach out to people. Remember that, Matsumoto."

It was then that a small smile crept on my face and gave her a tight hug. Nana, there was no one like you who would say those things to me. Nana returned the hug as she stroked my hair gently. None of us wanted to let go as I felt myself blush again. Now I realized why I'm having those feelings. Whenever I'm around Nana, these feelings start again. And that's when I realized: I'm in love with Nana Nishigaki. In fact, I accidentally whispered that since I was getting into the tender moment.

"You . . . love me?" Nana asked, shocked that I said that to her.

I blushed as I nodded as whispered again.

"Matsumoto . . . I . . . I don't know what to say." It was so surprising to her that she was left speechless. How could a student like me love a teacher like Nana? However, the shock soon went away as she smiled. "Well then, shall I return the favor and say that I had feelings for you, too?"

I gasped softly and whispered.

"Heh, I guess when we spent our time at the apartment," Nana explained. "I don't know why, but I suddenly had some feelings for you. I wasn't really sure if a teacher could love a student, so I kept my feelings hidden this whole time."

I whispered my confession as well.

"You kept your feelings hidden, too? Well, I guess we're both the same then."

I whispered to her again as I looked down at the ground.

"Eh? You want to keep this a secret?"

I nodded.

"Hmm . . . You know what? That just might work. But for now, let's spend every last moment together."

I nodded again as I whispered to her while starting to lean in closer to her.

"And I'll never leave your side either, Matsumoto."

And with that, both of us touched lips, making it a complete kiss. That was something that I would never ever forget. My first love was with Nana. I had loved her very much as she loved me. And so . . . from that day forward, our start of our relationship begun with a simple secret. And . . . my feelings for her never changed, even when I turned 14.

So this was my life of being the quiet girl I am today and my love for Nana will and forever be mine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Whew! That was the longest chapter I have ever written! I don't even know if I got any of this right, but let me know, okay? Anyway, thanks again for encouraging me to get back into the story. But still, with the third season of Yuru Yuri coming out, I'm afraid that they'll put in something about Rise, but who knows? So, the next chapter goes back to the present day. What will Rise have in store for her as she tries to keep her relationship a secret?**

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	7. Story is Still in Progress

**Author's Note**

**Just so you know, I'm not abandoning this story at all. I'm grateful that you are encouraging me to continue this story and it means a lot to me. Sorry if I delayed you all for such a long time. Been having writer's block but now I'm finally back into doing it. Expect at least two chapters for this story. Have a nice day~!**

**YuriFan300**


	8. We're Here for You

**Chapter 7**

**We're Here for You**

After Nana finishes Rise's story, it had brought everyone to tears. No one had ever thought Rise had gone through so much pain and suffering after what the surgery had done to her. With her parents gone, Rise had lived a lonely life for quite a while until Nana found her. Ayano took it the hardest since she herself could barely understand Rise at all. In an instant, she comes over and wraps her arms around the quiet girl.

"I'm so sorry, president!" Ayano sobs. "I had no idea you had to suffer so much pain!"

Rise just gives a small smile as she just returns the hug to comfort the lavender haired girl. Ayano just keeps on crying as Chitose and Nina exchange looks and smile while wiping their tears.

"That was the best story I've ever heard," Nina says as she approaches her older twin. "Thanks so much for your time. I've learned so much that I have an idea for my next novel."

Nana smiles. "That's great to hear. I wish you good luck."

With that, they both give each other a hug and Nina leaves the room. But before Nina could even open the door, she feels a tug on her sleeve. Looking down, she sees Rise looking up at the novelist. The quiet girl whispers to her while waving.

"It was nice seeing you, too, Rise-san," Nina says. "I hope to see all of you once more."

Ayano, Chitose and Nana wave at the novelist and Nina takes her leave. Ayano wipes her tears as she turns to the quiet student council president.

"President," she says with confidence "Don't worry! We're all here for you! Your secret is also safe with us!"

Rise whispers in question.

"Of course," Nana replies. "We'll also makes sure those bullies don't bother you anymore."

The raven-haired girl nods. She is glad that everyone around her is starting to support her and it makes her feel really warm inside. After a short silence, Ayano and Chitose say their good-byes and leave the classroom. Silence fills the room again as Rise and Nana look at each other.

"Well, Matsumoto," she says while stretching her arms. "We finally told your story. And look, your student council members and my sister seemed to understand."

Rise whispers as a smile doesn't appear on her face.

"Oh, that's right," Nana says. "Those other girls."

Rise nods.

"Well, no need to worry," Nana says. "Everyone's got your back, including me. Those girls won't be bullying you as long as we're here with you."

The raven-haired girl smiles and wraps her arms around her teacher, in which Nana returns the hug. This only lasts for about a minute before pulling away. Rise whispers as she grabs her bag and heads for the door.

"Be careful, Matsumoto," Nana warns. "Those girls might be around somewhere, so watch yourself, okay?"

Rise nods and heads out of the room. Lucky for her the trio isn't around to make fun of her, so feeling safe and sound, Rise heads home.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Rise enters the school by her locker to get her stuff. A lot has been on her mind since she had revealed her story to Ayano, Chitose and Nina. They probably told the story to the rest of the Student Council by now and maybe the Amusement Club. Still, it's hard to have some people not understand what she had been through since she had this condition and to keep her relationship with Nana a huge secret. Rise wonders if others will ever understand.<p>

Suddenly, as soon as Rise closes her locker, Suki and her friends appear in front of her.

"Well, hello, Matsumoto," she says. "Nice morning, isn't it?"

Rise just stares at the blonde.

"No, don't worry," Suki says. "You don't need to say anything since you literally can't speak!"

Riri and Akira laugh. Rise rolls her eyes and starts to walk to her classroom when she feels a hand grab her shoulder and pin her against the locker, followed by a clanging sound.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere, Matsumoto," Suki says as she peers close to the quiet girl. "We still have time to spare . . . to make you suffer."

Rise whispers.

"I'm sorry, what's that?" Suki says as she puts her hand over her ear.

"Yes, you want to suffer?" Riri says, laughing.

Rise shakes her head and whispers again.

"Oh, I get it!" Akira says. "She wants to get hurt, right?"

The raven haired girl feels annoyed by their assumption game and just says nothing. Suki smiles evilly as she turns to her friends.

"Look at her," she says. "She's literally got nothing to say."

"She's just so . . . silent," Riri agrees.

"No one's gonna be friends with this witch,' Akira adds.

"That's where you're wrong!" a familiar voice says from behind the trio.

Suki and the girls turn to see Ayano, Chitose, Sakurako and Himawari standing before the trio with their hands on their hips.

"What the heck do you want?" Suki growls.

Ayano points her finger at the leader of the trio. "Rise and the rest of us have had enough of your foolishness. You three better stop this right now!"

"Or what?" Suki snaps as she steps closer to the purple haired girl. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Yeah!" Riri agrees. "Matsumoto is nothing more than a mute witch who has no friends. If she can't speak, she shouldn't be running as student council president. Someone else should!"

"I think it should be Suki," Akira suggests. "She would make a much better president than Matsumoto."

"You think so?" Suki blushes at the compliment and smiles.

"Yes!" Riri replies. "You would so be perfect! Everyone looks up to you and you're pretty popular with the school anyway. Much more popular than Matsumoto!"

Suki nods and turns to Rise. "Matsumoto should just quit being president. She's too quiet to even be elected in the first place."

"Now wait a minute!" Himawari says. "That's just cruel! Matsumoto-san is just fine as president! You can't do this to her!"

"Shut up and think about it for a minute!" Suki snaps again. "How long has it been since she was president? Do people even try to think about how Rise speaks during her campaign? Why is she even here? She shouldn't even be in this school if she can't speak."

Rise gasps as she realizes that Suki might be right for once.

"Hey!" Ayano shouts. "Why can't you accept Rise the way she is!?"

"We love Rise-chan as much as she loves us!" Chitose steps in.

"Well then . . . how often is she with you guys if she loves you that much?" Suki asks.

Everyone goes silent as they think of all the times Rise wasn't there with them, well most of the time anyway.

"What does it matter to you anyway!?" Sakurako shouts.

"Even if she isn't with us, we still consider her a friend!" Ayano says . "And it's all thanks to Nishigaki-sensei!"

"Nishigaki-sensei?" Suki repeats.

"Yes," Chitose replies. "When she first introduced Rise-chan to us, we told us a little about her, but we had no idea why she spoke this way. But when Nishigaki-sensei told us the story, we felt really bad for her and promised her that we'd always be with her from now on."

"And then Sugiura-senpai told us about it," Himawari says. "And we felt moved."

"It was so touching!" Sakurako says.

Himawari bonks her on the head. "Don't push it."

"Hmph!" Suki scoffs. "You guys are a bunch of fools. Matsumoto is not a friend. She's just a silent girl. No one wants to be around her. No one!"

"You guys should do the same," Riri demands.

"What!?" Everyone says in unison.

Rise couldn't take this anymore and grabs Suki by the arm and whispers loudly.

"Shut up!" the blonde shouts as she shoves the quiet girl off, making her tumble to the ground. "No wonder you haven't got any friends. You're just a silent freak."

Rise gasps again as the trio walks away. She couldn't believe that Suki would say such a thing, let alone being right about her lacking presence because of her whisper-like voice. Now, she feels that she doesn't belong in this world. Tears fall from her eyes as she looks down at the ground while Ayano kneels down and tries to comfort her.

"Don't listen to them, President," she says. "They're just a bunch of idiots that don't know what you're really capable of."

Rise shakes her head and whispers. After all those years of not speaking, she knows she couldn't live a life without a voice. And Suki was right about her quitting her duties as president since she can't speak.

"What are you talking about!?" Chitose cries. "What those girls said isn't totally true! We love you just the way you are! We don't care if you have this condition! Please, just-"

Rise gets up and runs off in tears. The raven-haired girl couldn't bare any of the words she heard Suki tell her friends. Even though they tried everything, Rise still couldn't be cured, nor make any more friends. She wishes she didn't have this condition in the first place. She wishes she had her parents back and live a good life again. She's completely alone for good.

* * *

><p>Late afternoon, Nana walks in the halls when she hears some quiet sniffling and wonders where the sound is coming from. After walking around a corner, there is Rise, hugging her knees as tears continue to spill while crying her eyes out.<p>

"Matsumoto," she says softly as she kneels down to her level. "What are you doing over here? Why are you crying?"

Rise sniffles as she looks up to see her teacher looking at her, full of worry. Choking a sob, she jumps into Nana's arms and cries her heart out, letting out everything she wanted to get out since this morning. She is glad that Nana showed up, no matter how late she is. She just wanted someone to be there to comfort her after being verbally abused by Suki and that's just what Nana did. Hugging her close, the young woman gently strokes her hair while trying to calm the poor girl. After about 20 minutes, while Rise is calming down bit by bit, Nana takes her over to the classroom and sit down on the desks. There, Rise explains everything that happened this morning, which made Nana angry.

"Those girls are nothing but jerks who can't seem to understand you," Nana growls. "In fact, nobody except the student council and the Amusement Club do! I just hate those girls so much!"

Rise whispers.

"What? What are you talking about?"

Looking down at the ground, she clenches the hem of her skirt as she whispers while tears fall from her face again.

"Matsumoto, don't say such things," Nana says. "We love having you around."

Rise shakes her head as she whispers.

"Forget what those stupid witches said! I'm telling you, you have a purpose for being here. Look, you're student council president here, everyone adores you and the rest of the student council has got your back." She pulls the quiet girl close to her. "Please, Matsumoto. Stay here with us. We can't have you leave us. What will we do without you?"

Tears are still falling as Rise whispers while sniffling.

"No, there's no way in oblivion that everyone thinks of you that way. Matsumoto, listen to me. No matter what, I will always be there for you. I don't want you to leave. Not ever. Because . . ." A tear falls off of Nana's cheek. "Because I love you, Matsumoto. I love you, so please don't leave me."

Rise sniffles as she hugs the young woman tightly while crying softly. She realizes that Nana is right and she should think about living her life to the fullest, despite being in this condition. As the two pull away, they blush as they stare lovingly at each other. Then, as if something has possessed them, both of them lean in and finally, touch lips. For some reason, Rise wanted more of it, so she wraps her arms around Nana's neck and kisses her some more. The young woman returns the kiss and soon, both of them get into it. For Rise, it feels so good to kiss her one true love and been wanting to do that for a long time. As for Nana, she wasn't really expecting her to do this, but still enjoyed it. After about a minute, the two pull away and Rise whispers.

"Yes, we sure did," Nana whispers as she caresses her cheek. "Shall we continue?"

Rise nods as she and Nana start to kiss again. The feeling is so good that she and Nana pay no attention to what's going on around them. It's like they are in their own little world. The raven-haired girl could never forget this moment . . . ever.

* * *

><p>Late that night, Rise plops on her bed with one arm on her forehead, thinking about the kiss she and Nana shared earlier. She reaches a hand over to her lips and touches them, feeling that she could've wanted more of this wonderful moment. But she'll always have it tomorrow afternoon. Closing her eyes, a small smile creeps on her face as she whispers this one simple word.<p>

"Nana . . ."


	9. Exposed!

**Chapter 8**

**Exposed!**

The next morning, Rise is on her way to her classroom when all of a sudden, she sees the other girls giving her dirty looks and looking away from her. Rise is wondering why they are all looking at her like that, probably there's something on her face. But knowing that isn't possible, she also wonders if she had done something to make the other students angry. But she knows that isn't possible either, since she is a quiet person, practically lacking presence. So, why were the students giving her looks of disgust?

All of a sudden, Rise's answer pops up the minute she walks into the classroom. On the blackboard, there's several pictures of Rise and Nana kissing and writing on the board saying, **"Nishigaki-sensei trying to seduce a student."**

Rise gasps as she runs over to it and looks at all of the pictures that were taken, wondering who took them. All the other girls laugh and point their fingers at her.

"I can't believe a teacher likes Matsumoto!" one says.

"What, is she like a pedophile or something?" another asks.

"I believe Nishigaki-sensei secretly wanted Matsumoto in her classroom just to have sex with her!" a third girl says.

"Really!?" the first girl gasps. "That's pretty intense!"

"Even worse, everyone else heard about it," a fourth girl says. "And then it spread all over the school. I bet Nishigaki-sensei will be in big trouble once she finds out about this."

Rise gasps as she hears every student talk about it. When in the world did they find this out? And who took those pictures? Rise realizes that they were being watched while she and Nana were making out and now her relationship is completely exposed.

_"Attention please,"_ a voice in the intercom says. _"Will Rise Matsumoto report to the principle's office? Rise Matsumoto?"_

The raven-haired girl gasps again. She knew trouble would come for her once she faces the principle, but she's more worried about Nana. So, she turns and runs as fast as she could to the principle's office, feeling more and more worried about what's going to happen to Nana. As soon as she enters the office, she finds Nana standing there with a sad look on her face. She runs over to the teacher and whispers.

"Matsumoto," he says. "Is it true that Nishigaki tried to forcefully seduce you?"

Rise shakes her head roughly and whispers.

"That's right!" Nana cries. "I would never do such a thing to her! We're just teacher and student!"

"Oh, really?" The principle doesn't seem convinced and holds up a picture of Rise and Nana making out. "Because some girl by the name of Suki Kawasaki took this picture as evidence. It seems that Nishigaki is about to do something really unpleasant to Matsumoto."

Nana gasps as she glances back and forth at Rise and the principle. "No! There's no way I would do something like this! Ever!"

"But you do realize that loving a student is forbidden, right?" the principle says.

Nana sighs, feeling that she can't argue with that. "Yes."

"And you seducing one of the students results is forbidden as well. So, Nana Nishigaki, you've been relieved of your duties as a teacher immediately."

"Yes, sir," Nana says as she turns to exit the office.

Rise turns from the principle and the door as tears are starting to form in her eyes. There's no way she'll be able to communicate to the principle because of her quiet voice, so she'll have to convince Nana to stay and try to prove to him that the whole thing isn't true.

However, Nana didn't bother to listen to what Rise is saying as she packs all her stuff from her desk.

"It's over, Matsumoto," she says. "We can't be together anymore. Our relationship has been exposed throughout the entire school. Plus, they believe that I was the one seducing you and stuff, so . . . I'm sorry."

Heavy tears were spilling out of the quiet girl's eyes non-stop as she begs Nana in whisper to stay so that they can work this out, but it's not working. Nana feels the same way, but considering that their relationship is exposed, she feels that there's nothing they can do about it. And the principle made it perfectly clear about loving a student. Nana walks over and hugs the small girl in her arms.

"Good-bye, Matsumoto," she says. "I know that we couldn't fully be together in the end, but . . . I will always love you."

A flashback of her parents saying the same thing pops in her head, which makes her gasp and cries her heart out, while returning the hug.

"I'm sorry!" Nana sobs. "I'm so sorry!"

Rise shakes her head as tears keep falling, not wanting to let go of her beloved. How can things end so quickly when they are starting to establish their relationship? This is just very unfair for the two of them. When they let go, she helps Nana pack the rest of her things and then watches her leave. As the ex-teacher walks farther and farther away, Rise reaches her hand over, wanting to be with her a little longer, but she stops herself, leaving her hand reached out towards the woman. Tears fall again as she drops down to her knees with her eyes shaking. Now that her beloved is gone, how can anyone understand her? She'd just be considered invisible for all she knows.

"Well, well, well," a sassy voice says. "Look at this poor girl here."

Suki and her friends surround her, snickering while Rise glares at them.

"Oh, no need to thank me," Suki says. "Now that your beloved teacher is gone, no one in the world can understand you! You're totally helpless!"

"We did a great job, didn't we?" Riri say.

"Yep!" Akira agrees. "Suki was able to convince the principle to kick Nishigaki-sensei out by taking those pictures of the two of them making out."

Rise gasps as she stands up and points at them.

"Yes," Suki says. "It is I that took those pictures. Just to kick that mad scientist Nishigaki out for good. So, now everyone's against you, Matsumoto. And there isn't anything you can do about it."

"I hope you have a nice life now," Riri says.

"Because your days of suffering has only begun," Akira adds.

Suki shoves Rise to the ground. "After all, we'll grant your wish that you won't ever exist in this world just because you can't be understood by anyone. They all wish you could just disappear from the world." She turns to leave. "Later."

As the trio walks away, Rise chokes a sob as she runs off in tears. Why? Why is the world so cruel to her, especially those girls? All she can do is ask herself "Why?" Unfortunately, class is still going on, so she stands up and walks back to class.

* * *

><p>Throughout the school day, Rise wasn't so lucky after that whole incident with the principle. The other girls kept on bullying and teasing her about Nana trying to seduce her because of the pictures they saw on the board this morning. They were all telling her the same thing.<p>

_"She should just disappear."_

Over and over she kept hearing it, even between periods. Finally, she felt relieved when school is over. She runs all the way home, slams the door and cries on the bed. Thinking back on what Suki had said, she believes that she is just a burden to the world after all and she should just disappear. Plus that, Nana had been kicked out of the school, so there's no way for anyone to understand her this time.

_Disappear . . . disappear . . ._

Then, Rise slowly stands up with her head down, bangs hiding her expression. If everyone wants her out of this world . . . then she can do what they want.

_Disappear . . . disappear . . ._

Slowly walking to the kitchen, she grabs something sharp from the cabinet and points it at the edge of her neck.

_Disappear . . ._

Rise trembles as she tries to attempt to cut her throat.

_Disappear . . ._

All of a sudden, a sudden clang is heard throughout the house. The raven-haired girl drops down to her knees, buries her head in her hands and sobs, feeling that she can't do it, but doesn't know why. If she did this now, she wouldn't be able to see her beloved Nana, or the members of the student council or the Amusement Club. Everyone would be devastated. But . . . what is she supposed to do with her life now? How will she live on? Those questions fill her head, remaining unanswered as she hangs her head down.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


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